Philip Rivers, AJ Brown, and the NFL world react to Colts hiring Shane Steichen

Shane Steichen, left, speaks at a press conference Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023 announcing that he is the new Indianapolis Colts Head Coach. Colts Owner and CEO Jim Irsay, center, and General Manager Chris Ballard introduced the new coach in the Gridiron Hall of the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.Shane Steichen Is The New Indianapolis Colts Head Coach
Shane Steichen, left, speaks at a press conference Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023 announcing that he is the new Indianapolis Colts Head Coach. Colts Owner and CEO Jim Irsay, center, and General Manager Chris Ballard introduced the new coach in the Gridiron Hall of the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.Shane Steichen Is The New Indianapolis Colts Head Coach /
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The Indianapolis Colts have officially named Shane Steichen as their head coach, and people throughout the NFL are applauding the move.

The Indianapolis Colts finally have a head coach. That became official on Tuesday when the franchise announced that Shane Steichen will now be leading the team. Fresh off a Super Bowl appearance as the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, Steichen came to Indianapolis and had an introductory press conference that displayed his emotion and passion for coaching. Jim Irsay and Chris Ballard were also present as they spent their time gushing over Steichen’s intelligence while explaining how he separated himself from the many other impressive candidates.

Ballard and Irsay aren’t the only ones that love the hire either. Colts fans have been ecstatic and many media members have been applauding the move since it was first reported on Sunday morning. Some of the most vocal praise has come from Steichen’s former players and coworkers. Included in that group are Norv Turner and Philip Rivers.

Steichen started his NFL coaching career as an assistant under Norv Turner with the Chargers and also spent a year with Turner in Cleveland. Rivers was the first quarterback that Steichen worked with as he was rising up the ranks as an offensive mastermind. Rivers also spent one season with the Colts and Irsay admitted that he had an influential voice in the coaching search.

Shane Steichen receives praise from his former players

Turner acknowledged Steichen’s impact on young quarterbacks and how he was able to build two different offenses based on the young quarterbacks he had. One offense and quarterback was the Chargers in 2020 with Justin Herbert, and the other was Jalen Hurts and the Eagles the last two seasons. Considering that the Colts will likely be selecting a QB in this year’s draft, Turner called Steichen and Indy a perfect pairing.

Rivers, on the other hand, highlighted Steichen’s offensive prowess and passion for his players, saying, “His offensive mind and feel for calling a game is elite. He has great passion for the game and love for the players.” That passion and love for the players were on display Tuesday when Steichen gave an emotional thank you to all the players that helped him get to this point, including a list of the Eagles’ offensive players.

AJ Brown simply voiced his appreciation for Steichen and wished him the best of luck with the Colts. Coming so close to winning a Super Bowl on Sunday, Steichen was likely tempted to stay with this group that he’s obviously so close with and try to run it back. However, his dream to be a head coach came knocking and Steichen couldn’t pass that up.

Now he will begin building bonds with a new set of players, developing a new young quarterback, and hopefully leading the Colts to a Super Bowl in the coming years.